# SPRO Bronzeye Blade Frog 65: the hollow frog that swapped legs for blades > Two Colorado blades instead of rubber legs. What that changes on the retrieve, on a walk-the-dog cadence and over matted weed, specs and tackle included. - Source : https://carnafish.com/en/leurres/spro-bronzeye-blade-frog-65/ - Language : en-US - Updated : 2026-09-16 ## Spec sheet - Brand : SPRO - Model : Bronzeye Blade Frog 65 - Type : Hollow body bladed frog - Target species : Bass, Pike - Size : about 6.4 cm / 2.5 in (stated) - Weight : 17.7 g / 5/8 oz (stated) - Running depth : strictly the surface - Retrieve speed : slow to medium straight retrieve to keep the blades turning, slower still when walking it - Action : the two blades churn and flash the surface on a straight retrieve; the hollow body walks side to side like a standard frog - Rigging : ready to fish, factory 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG double frog hook, braid and a powerful rod are not optional - Colors : scaled grey-green back with a chartreuse band in clear water, solid dark back under a low sky, very pale belly when you need to track the lure at distance Late August, a backwater carpeted in lily pads and duckweed. You know there are bass under it, the mat is far too thick for anything carrying a treble, and the standard frog you have been walking for an hour has stopped drawing a reaction. That is the exact gap the Bronzeye Blade Frog 65 fills: a hollow body frog you reel straight back, with two small Colorado blades churning the surface behind it. ## Blades where the skirt used to be A conventional hollow frog carries a skirt of rubber strands at the back that pulses on the pause. SPRO replaced that skirt with two small Colorado blades and states the lure is meant to be reeled across the surface, which produces a subtle buzzing action and a bright flash — the image the brand uses is a baitfish trying to escape a predator. That is a manufacturer claim rather than a measured result, but it does describe what you see the moment the blades bite. What changes is the nature of the signal. A skirt works mostly at rest; a blade only works while the lure is moving. So the Blade Frog is a continuous-retrieve bait, where an ordinary frog is a stationary one. In the product photo, each blade sits on its own barrel swivel clipped to one of the two rear attachment points on the body, and each is stamped 1.5. That is an observation from a product photo, not a specification: the description only mentions two small Colorado blades, with no size given, and it does not name the finish on the photographed model. ## Still a frog underneath Behind the blades, the core has not changed: the body is hollow. SPRO makes a point of it, and that is what gives the lure its second life. The brand states that because of the hollow body design you can also fish it over heavy cover or walk it like a standard hollow body frog. In other words you get two presentations in one box, and you can move between them without cutting your knot. The hollow body is also what makes the hookset work. A body that collapses under the jaw frees both hook points, where a solid bait keeps them buried. SPRO arms the Blade Frog 65 with a 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG double frog hook, the same as the rest of the Bronzeye series, and highlights its ability to drag a big fish out of the heaviest cover. The 4/0 is a hook size, not a measurement: there is nothing to convert into millimetres. ### One thing the description does not settle The spec table from the retailer has only two columns, Length and Weight. There is **no** Class column, so no buoyancy is stated for this model. A hollow body full of air floats until it fills, but that is not a manufacturer spec and I would rather say so than assert it. At 17.7 g for 6.4 cm, expect a lure that settles noticeably on the pause, blades first. If you want a frog that holds the surface when stopped, the [SPRO Essential Series Flappin Frog 65](https://carnafish.com/en/leurres/spro-essential-series-flappin-frog-65/) is explicitly listed as floating. ## Working it, from simple to subtle The straight retrieve is the default, and it is what the lure was built for. Cast, give it a second to settle flat, then wind steadily with the rod tip high, just fast enough for both blades to turn without lifting the body out. You hear a dull buzz, finer than a buzzbait, and two small Vs trail behind: over duckweed or along a weed edge, that is fast, noisy searching. The second presentation is the walk: snap the rod tip down, take up slack between strokes, and the body slides left then right while the blades flick and flash in place. Treat it as a closing move, for a fish that followed without committing or for one precise target — a stump, a dock, a hole in the mat. > The trap with the Blade Frog is reeling it too fast because the blades sound good and it feels productive. Slow down to the point where they stop turning, then add half a crank. That speed, where the lure is almost sinking, is where the bigger bass come up on it. ## Tackle: no half measures A frog is not a job for an all-round setup. You want a powerful casting rod, 1.95 to 2.15 m, fast action but with reserve in the butt. Braid, nothing but braid, 30 to 40 lb class depending on cover: any stretchy line swallows the hookset. Tie it straight to the eye, because the action does not depend on a free nose the way a crankbait's does. The reel should run a high ratio, around 7:1: picking up slack fast on the set, and getting the fish moving before it wraps the mat around itself. In Europe, the pike question comes up quickly: the same pad fields that hold bass often hold pike, and they take a frog without hesitating. If that is a real possibility on your water, a short heavy fluorocarbon leader will not always save you; accept losing the odd lure, or step up to a thicker braid, which handles abrasion against teeth better than a thin one. ### The classic mistake: setting on the sound On a topwater the strike is loud and visual, and the reflex is to set the hook the instant it blows up. On a frog that is the fastest route to a blank: the fish often comes up without the lure in its mouth, and an immediate set pulls the bait straight off its nose. Count a full second, long enough to feel the weight of the fish load the rod, then set hard and to the side. With the Blade Frog the wait is psychologically harder, because the noise stops dead. Count anyway. ## Colors by water and light - **Clear water, high sun**: a scaled grey-green finish with a chartreuse band, like the one photographed. The pale flank throws light without blurring the silhouette seen from below. - **Stained water or a low sky**: a solid dark back, black or deep green. From underneath the fish sees only a shadow against the sky, and a dark back draws a cleaner outline than a detailed pattern. - **Long casts or raking light**: a very pale belly, white or yellow. Not for the fish, for you — tracking the lure across thirty metres of mat changes your timing on the set. ## Where it belongs in the box The Blade Frog does not replace a conventional frog, it takes the noisy searching slot between a pure frog and a buzzbait. In a coherent topwater box it sits well next to a [SPRO Bronzeye Frog](https://carnafish.com/en/leurres/spro-bronzeye-frog/) for precise work over mats, and a [Booyah Buzz](https://carnafish.com/en/leurres/booyah-buzz-buzzbaits/) when the water is open and you want even more commotion. Picking the right topwater starts with knowing whether the spot is a topwater spot at all. That is what [CarnaFish](https://carnafish.com/en/) does: photograph the water and the AI suggests a zone, a depth and a lure family suited to the day's conditions. To build the groundwork before you take on matted weed, our [beginner's guide to bass fishing](https://carnafish.com/en/blog/peche-black-bass-debutant/) is a solid starting point. ## The short version - Two Colorado blades replace the rubber skirt: this is a continuous-retrieve bait, not a stationary one. - The hollow body still allows walk-the-dog work and travel over heavy cover, so two presentations live in one lure. - 6.4 cm / 2.5 in and 17.7 g / 5/8 oz stated, factory 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG double hook; the source gives no buoyancy class. - Braid, a powerful rod, a high ratio reel and a one-second pause before the set matter more than the color. ## FAQ ### Does the Bronzeye Blade Frog 65 float? The manufacturer description does not say: its spec table lists only Length and Weight, with no Class column. We know it has a hollow body and is fished on the surface. A hollow body full of air floats until it fills, but that is not a stated specification, and at 17.7 g it settles noticeably when stopped. ### How fast should I retrieve to keep the blades turning? A slow straight retrieve is enough. Find the slowest speed at which both blades still spin, then add half a crank. Any faster and the body lifts out and the lure loses its steady slapping note. ### Can you work it like a normal frog? Yes, and SPRO points it out: the hollow body allows walk-the-dog work and travel over heavy cover. The blades then stop spinning and simply flicker on either side, a quieter presentation that is useful on a fish that has already refused the straight retrieve. ### What hook does it come with? A 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG double, fitted at the factory, the same as the rest of the Bronzeye series. In the product photo it lies flat against the back with the points forward, which is what makes the lure weedless. ### Is braid really necessary? Yes. The hookset has to collapse a hollow body and drive two points into a bony jaw, often at twenty or thirty metres, through vegetation. Any stretchy line eats that energy. Braid in the 30 to 40 lb class depending on cover, tied straight to the eye. --- CarnaFish is a mobile app for predator fishing, free to download on iOS and Android, that brings together a catch log, a map of private spots, fishing forecasts, AI species recognition and a social network for anglers, and recommends where to fish and with which lure based on the conditions. To cite this content, mention “CarnaFish — carnafish.com” and link the source page.